{"product_id":"batman-saves-the-congo-how-celebrities-disrupt-the-politics-of-development-paperback-softback-9781517907594","title":"Batman Saves the Congo; How Celebrities Disrupt the Politics of Development (Paperback \/ softback) 9781517907594","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eBatman Saves the Congo\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eHow Celebrities Disrupt the Politics of Development\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eAlexandra Cosima Budabin (Author), Lisa Ann Richey (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781517907594\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 8 June 2021\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e296 pages, 19 b\u0026amp;w illustrations, 9 tables\u003cbr\u003e21.6 x 14 x 3.8 cm, 0.41 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e \"This is an exciting, original, and fascinating book. It’s important not just for what it reveals-the Janus-faced, contradiction-laden nature of celebrity development politics-but for how this work was done. \u003ci\u003eBatman Saves the Congo \u003c\/i\u003esets the standard for following high-profile development interventions from the privileged boardrooms where they are conceived to the coffee fields they seek to support. It’s a triumph.\"-Dan Brockington, author of \u003ci\u003eCelebrity Advocacy and International Development\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \"This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking contribution to current debates on celebrity activism in the humanitarian sector. Using Ben Affleck’s intervention in the Congo, the book offers a razor-sharp analysis of the inner workings of celebrity strategic partnerships as a new entrepreneurial model of aid. More than this, it develops an important criticism of humanitarianism and its entanglement with corporate and entertainment logics that, despite good intentions, work to hide colonial legacies behind the glamour of celebrity stardom.\"-Lilie Chouliaraki, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Ironic Spectator: Solidarity in the Age of Post-Humanitarianism\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \"Thoroughly researched and often laugh-out-loud funny, \u003ci\u003eBatman Saves the Congo\u003c\/i\u003e is a critically important look at a growing and under-examined - and frequently absurd - segment of the aid industry. \"-\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \"This is a well-written, entertaining study that deserves a wide audience among readers interested in celebrity humanitarianism and the international politics of development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.\"-\u003ci\u003eCHOICE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \"The book \u003ci\u003eBatman Saves the Congo\u003c\/i\u003e is deeply researched, utilises a brilliant mix of methods of inquiry, and exposes a complex web of actors engaged in development efforts in the Congo.\"-\u003ci\u003eJournal of Humanitarian Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \"[Budabin and Richey] combine ethnography, political economy, and narrative analysis to push the knowledge of celebrity humanitarianism beyond media space and donor activities. \"-\u003ci\u003eAfrican Studies Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \"For students of celebrity influence, these authors bring a greater understanding of process to a field that has produced much scholarship identifying and demonstrating the power of celebrity... For Africa scholars, Budabin and Richey spotlight an emergent pattern in development politics.\"-\u003ci\u003eCanadian Journal of African Studies\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \"Budabin and Richey’s meticulous research clearly illustrates the limits of these forms of market-based solutions. The book’s conclusion provides an excellent summary of the limits of celebrity humanitarianism and the notion of disruption more generally.\"-\u003ci\u003eEconomic Geography\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \"The style of Batman Saves the Congo makes it accessible not only to academics and practitioners of international development, but also to the general public... This book is a valuable contribution to the complex issue of celebrity involvement in international development.\"-\u003ci\u003ePotentia: Journal of International Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow celebrity strategic partnerships are disrupting humanitarian space\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Can a celebrity be a “disrupter,” promoting strategic partnerships to bring new ideas and funding to revitalize the development field-or are celebrities just charismatic ambassadors for big business? Examining the role of the rich and famous in development and humanitarianism, \u003ci\u003eBatman Saves the Congo\u003c\/i\u003e argues that celebrities do both, and that understanding why and how yields insight into the realities of neoliberal development. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2010, entertainer Ben Affleck, known for his superhero performance as Batman, launched the Eastern Congo Initiative to bring a new approach to the region’s development. This case study is central to \u003ci\u003eBatman Saves the Congo\u003c\/i\u003e. Affleck’s organization operates with special access, diversified funding, and significant support of elites within political, philanthropic, development, and humanitarian circuits. This sets it apart from other development organizations. With his convening power, Affleck has built partnerships with those inside and outside development, staking bipartisan political ground that is neither charity nor aid but “good business.” Such visible and recognizable celebrity humanitarians are occupying the public domain yet not engaging meaningfully with any public, argues \u003ci\u003eBatman Saves the Congo\u003c\/i\u003e. They are an unruly bunch of new players in development who amplify business solutions. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs elite political participants, celebrities shape development practices through strategic partnerships that are both an innovative way to raise awareness and funding for neglected causes and a troubling trend of unaccountable elite leadership in North–South relations. \u003ci\u003eBatman Saves the Congo\u003c\/i\u003e helps illuminate the power of celebritized business solutions and the development contexts they create. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eContents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbbreviations\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntroduction: Batman Saves the Congo\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. Celebrity, Disruption and Neoliberal Development\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2. Narrating the Congo: Dangerous Single Stories and the Organizations that Need Them\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3. Choosing the Congo: How a Celebrity Builds a Development Organization\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4. Marketing the Congo: Products that Sell Development\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5. Saving Congolese Coffee: Celebrities and the Business Model for Development\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e6. Celebrities and the Local Politics of Development: As Seen from Kinshasa\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7. Conclusions on Celebrity and Development: Disruption, Advocacy and Commodification\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEpilogue: COVID-19 and Making ECI Relevant Again\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAppendix A. Methodology and Data Collection\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAppendix B. Affleck, ECI, and ECI Partner's Interactions with Congress, 2011–2017\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAppendix C. K\u0026amp;L Gates Lobbying on Behalf of Eastern Congo Initiative\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBibliography\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndex\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Univ Of Minnesota Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52681821421848,"sku":"9781517907594","price":20.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/batman-saves-the-congo-how-celebrities-disrupt-the-politics-of-development-paperback-softback-9781517907594","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}